Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Note 8.  Commitments and Contingencies

The company is involved, along with two other remaining steel manufacturing company defendants, in a class action antitrust suit in federal court in Chicago, Illinois, originally against eight companies. The Complaint alleges a conspiracy on the part of the original defendants to fix, raise, maintain and stabilize the price at which steel products were sold in the United States during a specified period between 2005 and 2007, by artificially restricting the supply of such steel products. All but one of the Complaints were brought on behalf of a purported class consisting of all direct purchasers of steel products. The other Complaint was brought on behalf of a purported class consisting of all indirect purchasers of steel products within the same time period.  In addition, another similar complaint was filed in December 2010 purporting to be on behalf of indirect purchasers of steel products in Tennessee. All Complaints have been consolidated in the Chicago action and seek treble damages and costs, including reasonable attorney fees, pre- and post-judgment interest and injunctive relief. Following an extensive period of discovery and related motions concerning class certification matters, the Court, on September 9, 2015, certified a class, limited, however, to the issue of the alleged conspiracy alone, and denied class certification on the issue of antitrust impact and damages.  As a result, some additional discovery is ongoing. The company has also filed a motion for summary judgment, as has co-defendant SSAB, and this matter is currently pending.

Due, however, to the uncertain nature of litigation, the company cannot presently determine the ultimate outcome of this litigation. Based on the information available at this time, the company has determined that there is not presently a “reasonable possibility” (as that term is defined in ASC 450-20-20), that the outcome of these legal proceedings would have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity. Although not presently necessary or appropriate to make a dollar estimate of exposure to loss, if any, in connection with the above matter, the company may in the future determine that a loss accrual is necessary. Although the company may make loss accruals, if and as warranted, any amounts that it may accrue from time to time could vary significantly from the amounts it actually pays, due to inherent uncertainties and the inherent shortcomings of the estimation process, the uncertainties involved in litigation and other factors. Additionally, an adverse result could have a material effect on the company’s financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

The company is involved in various routine litigation matters, including administrative proceedings, regulatory proceedings, governmental investigations, environmental matters, and commercial and construction contract disputes, none of which are expected to have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.